Spectacular launches at SIHH 2016

Jan 21, 2016

Richard Mille has come up with the RMS 5, a mechanical fountain pen or more specifically a fountain pen with a mechanical movement that retracts the nib.

It was brought into being by the brand’s movement creators and, according to Richard Mille, “took almost four years to research and develop before emerging as an exceptional, highly technological, one-of-a-kind product.”

The movement is based on a skeletonised baseplate and bridges in grade 5 titanium. It powers mechanised kinetics that release the white gold nib of the pen. The outside is machined from NPTP Carbon. Unsurprisingly, such an original and complex object comes at a price: CHF 106,500.

Richard Mille RMS5 at SIHH 2016

In terms of price and exception, the extraordinary table clock that Parmigiani Fleurier has made in collaboration with Lalique stands its ground. It is quite simply the most imposing clock ever made by the crystal specialist. A unique piece – proposed at CHF 2.4 million – Hippologia shows two Arabian thoroughbreds, a mare and her foal, crafted in solid gold.

The pair move on an oval crystal cabinet created by Lalique to represent the desert and dunes. While this isn’t the first piece by the watchmaker and the crystal specialist working in concert, it is the most complex and the most demanding in expertise. The clock features no fewer than 2,200 components.

Its base houses two mechanisms side by side, one connected to the mare and foal automaton and the other to the time display. Combining the expertise and talent of the designer, the watchmaker, the automaton-maker and the crystal specialist, Hippologia represents the ultimate in fine craftsmanship.

Parmigiani Hipologia at SIHH 2016

At Van Cleef & Arpels, the dial of the Midnight Nuit Lumineuse watch can be made to light up on demand using mechanical means. It achieves this watchmaking first thanks to piezoelectricity, a phenomenon by which certain materials become electrically charged when subjected to mechanical stress.

In this instance, a strip of ceramic is caused to vibrate by the movement and thus mechanically generates electricity. This is then used to power six electroluminescent diodes which back-light six diamonds – shining stars on the dial – to stunning effect.

Van Cleef Arpels – Midnight Lumineuse – SIHH 2016

At MB&F, Maximilian Büsser has a new friend: a robot conceived and developed by MB&F, engineered and crafted by L’Epée 1839. “It gives us great pleasure to introduce Sherman,” says the brand. “He’s quite a cute little robot, but to be frank, Sherman doesn’t do very much. He doesn’t do very much at all.” Truth be told, Sherman does nothing except give the exact time.

MB&F Sherman Palladium – SIHH 2016

EMC watch from Urwerk, the watch that monitors its own precision at the touch of a button. The new EMC Time Hunter not only indicates its variations in rate on a scale of +/- 15 seconds per day, it also measures the amplitude of its balance using an optical sensor. The energy needed to perform these two functions is generated by a crank handle which the wearer turns. Precision can be adjusted by the wearer; any modification of amplitude, on the other hand, must be done by a qualified watchmaker.